AutoNation (AN) closed at $118.82 in the latest trading session, marking a -1.36% move from the prior day. This change was narrower than the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.7%.Coming into today, shares of the auto retailer had gained 5.62% in the past month. In that same time, the Retail-Wholesale sector gained 2.56%, while the S&P 500 lost 0.27%.AN will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. The company is expected to report EPS of $3.99, up 67.65% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, our latest consensus estimate is calling for revenue of $6.43 billion, up 19.04% from the prior-year quarter.For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $15.32 per share and revenue of $25.58 billion, which would represent changes of +115.17% and +25.44%, respectively, from the prior year.Any recent changes to analyst estimates for AN should also be noted by investors. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 3.27% higher within the past month. AN is currently a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).Valuation is also important, so investors should note that AN has a Forward P/E ratio of 7.86 right now. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 7.86, which means AN is trading at a no noticeable deviation to the group.It is also worth noting that AN currently has a PEG ratio of 0.41. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. AN's industry had an average PEG ratio of 0.47 as of yesterday's close.The Automotive - Retail and Whole Sales industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 7, putting it in the top 3% of all 250+ industries.The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $2.4 trillion by 2028 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They’re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Recommendations from previous editions of this report have produced gains of +205%, +258% and +477%. The stocks in this report could perform even better.See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AutoNation, Inc. (AN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here.